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52 Method Jar Info

Basics and Frequently asked questions. There are many recipes yet to come.

52
Method Meals in a Jar Convenience Meal Planning In A Jar and
Mylar For Emergency and Every Day Food Storage FAQ's

Do
you have to use an Oxygen Absorber?

Oxygen
“eater” packets are used to make meals shelf stable. These
will cause a vacuum seal and an oxygen free environment that will
not allow the growth of mold and spores. Packing of the jars
should be done in a DRY jar on a day when the air is very low
humidity. That becomes especially important when re-packing freeze
dried meats. Note...it
is important if you are doing these jars to open the freeze dried
meat and bottle it again within 24-48 hours in a very dry
environment. I.
It
is not a good idea to seal these meals in just a plastic storage
bag or one that is not designed for long term storage if you are
using the real meat. I’m
especially conscious of that. Please don’t risk getting your
family sick. I
can’t be held liable for your bad choices.

It
doesn’t all seem to fit in the jar?Many
times, I include a lot more ingredients than what one would think
could fit in a jar. The dry powder ingredients I “shake” into
the other vegetable, grain, pasta or meat. In this way, I’m not
only able to reduce the amount of air in a jar, which will help
with the shelf life, but I also can make the meal more compact for
long-term storage. Shake the jars, with the lids on, if necessary.
You’ll be surprised how much will actually fit into the jars.

What
size Jar to use?These
recipes can easily be cut in half and used for smaller families. We've done pint size jars for families with just two adults and
had enough for dinner and left-over to take to work the following
day. Single people can make the meals in a half pint jar and each
recipe will make 4 meals with plenty of food! You will have to
adjust the cooking time and amount of water to adjust for these
changes. I generally use a wide mouth quart size mason jar.

Can
I use a Mylar bag or a Ziploc bag for these meals?

Yes,
you can store them in Mylar bags with an oxygen absorber. These
bags are designed for longer-term storage and will be fine for 3-4
years. Ziploc
bags are not
designed
for long term storage and are not recommended for the re-packing
of the freeze dried meats and cheeses, as they are too porous for
these purposes alone.
The only time I use Ziploc, is within the jars to keep some
products separate for later use when I prepare meals. I also use
them for short term when I make mixes like the hamburger skillet
meals (without freeze dried meat!). The only dis-advantage to
using mylar bags, is that they are not rodent proof. They are,
however, great
for earthquake zones.

Can
you use your own dehydrated vegetables in these recipes? Yes
and no. I use different products for different cooking times and
applications. Generally freeze dried products cook completely
differently and use a lot less water to hydrate than dehydrated
items. Should you use dehydrated products you do from your own
home, you will have to adjust cooking times, amount of water
needed and also how much of each vegetable you use in the recipes.
I cannot promise you will have the same results.Be
aware that not all food storage is created equally!Some
other companies use added sugars, preservatives, and cut their
products differently. This will also affect the cooking time and
quality of the finished recipes. In all cases, I am very product
specific. To the degree that you follow my recipes, is the degree
to which you will have the results. I am, without fail, completely
impressed with the consistent quality I find with Honeyville Food
Products (www.honeyvillegrain.com
) These recipes use all Honeyville products for a reason…because
they’re outstanding!

What
do you serve with the meals?Generally
we plan on a side dish to go with a meal during good times and
there is always enough grain figured into my food storage to plan
on 2-3 loaves of bread a day. This is in addition to the jars. My
family is used to baking bread from whole grain and we eat pretty
modestly. I also try to add fresh garden produce in the form of a
salad whenever I can. However, in an extreme emergency, the meal
is more than enough for my family. You’ll need to try the meals
yourself and plan accordingly. I’m sharing with you what has
worked for us. We have 2 adults, One teen boy and one pre-teen boy. We also
have my husband’s parents with us and they eat pretty light. Is
there really enough to serve 4-6 people a real amount of food?
Yes. The jars will make between 6-9 cups of cooked food, depending
on the recipe.

Homemade Convenience Meals in a Jar On Fox 10

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